Grand Avenue; Bad Rap; Westside Chinese

Re: “The Emirates of Grand Avenue” [April 11-17]: This is a tax subsidy, not a payout. L.A. is agreeing to receive less tax revenue than it would have under free-market conditions. The city is not paying the developer directly. The taxes generated from the shops, restaurants and Quimby funds from property sales would be taxed at full rate. L.A. is making a killing on taxes on this development. A lot more than it would get if it decided to have that tinker-toy parking structure there another 36 years. Let’s not kid ourselves. This isn’t like redeveloping the West End of Manhattan (Lincoln Center, Time Warner Center). This is hugely underutilized downtown L.A. The benefits from future economic development could be tremendous for a chronically underperforming downtown core. CalPERS left the deal for a reason. Even with the subsidy the risks were too high. If Related Companies flops, L.A. loses nothing. If Related Companies spurs billions in adjacent development and tens of millions in economic impact, then L.A. benefits. Besides, where would L.A. get the money to develop a 16-acre park? We can’t even fill our potholes.

Comments continue to come in about Paul Teetor’s cover story, “Bad Rap: How Aspiring Hip-hop Star Herbie Gonzalez Got Pegged as the Manhattan Beach Housekeeper Murderer — Anatomy of a false confession” [April 11-17]. See laweekly.com for the full range of comments.

I feel so bad for the family of the innocent lady who died and the innocent man who got his life turned upside down. My question is, why didn’t the media make a big deal about this story? They make a big deal about stupid things like fashion and celebrities, but the things that really matter, they don’t seem to care about.

LucyPosted on April 18

You don’t have to be a criminal to be treated like one! That is what I get from this awesome story. How can this have gone on for so long? In most cases, if not all, they are people of color, blacks and Latinos. Where is the love?

RichardPosted on April 21

Westside Chinese?

Aw, come on, Jonathan. You are dead right about Chinese on the Westside [“Go East, Young Chowhound: The eternal search for Chinese on the Westside,” April 11-17]. We head for SG [San Gabriel] every weekend and live at Green Village, Mission 261, Yazmin, 101 Noodle, Macau Street or Chung King (where our Mandarin-speaking son lived one summer). But when it comes to Vietnamese, we swear by Le Saigon on Santa Monica Boulevard at Federal. And yes, we’ve been to Westminster. We still like Le Saigon the best.

RonkePosted on April 11

Hu’s is the best on the Westside — you’re nuts!

Kevin FlynnPosted on April 11

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